50 Staycation Ideas to Relax and Save

Taking a vacation every once in a while can be really good for you, but it’s not always good for your wallet. The cost of plane tickets, car rentals, gas, hotel rooms, food, and souvenirs all add up. If you aren't careful, a vacation can end up being a huge investment just for some quality rest and relaxation.

If you want to reap the benefits of a vacation without the huge price tag, try taking a staycation! Below are some staycation suggestions, including fun things to do at home, outside, and in your local area.

What is a Staycation?

The meaning of “staycation” is a vacation where you don't go anywhere. Instead of going away for vacation, you stay where you are — hence the name STAYcation. Staycations often take place at your home or somewhere close by.

The Benefits of a Staycation

Instead of going far away on vacation, do a staycation instead. An at-home vacation can help you save money and energy, among other benefits. The following are just a few good reasons to opt for a staycation this year:

• Save on travel costs 
• Save on hotel costs 
• You don’t have to pack 
• You don’t have to travel 
• You can get more rest 
• You can enjoy your local area

It's difficult to take enough time off work and our personal lives to go through the entire process of packing and traveling somewhere in order to relax and have fun. Instead of piling more chaos on top of yourself, start relaxing right now and find fun ways to recuperate and rest at home.

17 Indoor Staycation Ideas

Don’t feel like leaving the house? Then go ahead and stay in. No one is stopping you! There are more than enough ways to relax and have fun when you stay in, especially if you want to reconnect with family and spend some quality time together. Here are some staycation ideas you can try from the comfort of your home.

1. Swap Bedrooms Around

The key to a great staycation is to change up your routine. Swapping bedrooms is a great way to change routines while also refreshing an old space to feel like new again. Maybe you’ll even love the change so much you’ll want to keep it!

2. Rearrange the Furniture

Is your house in need of a fresh makeover? Make some changes right now just by rearranging the furniture differently. Once you find a new setup you love, sit back, relax, and enjoy a whole new house just by rearranging some key pieces of furniture. 

3. Make Food from the Kitchen Summer Staycation

Summer Staycation is a TV show on the Food Network that reviews different dishes and recipes from around the world that you can make at home. With all their great recipe videos, you can make foods that make you feel like you're traveling the world from the comfort of your own house.

4. Spa Day at Home

Bring the full spa experience into your home with fun spa day activities. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on treatments at an actual spa. Instead, get your own spa essentials and start pampering yourself on a budget. You could do face masks, manicures, pedicures, take a bath, use bath salts, or soak your feet.

5. Build a Giant Blanket Fort

The great thing about making a fort is you can build it anywhere! Make a blanket fort or a pillow fort in the kids’ room, the playroom, the living room, or in front of the TV for a blanket fort movie night. 

6. Have a Movie Marathon

Movie marathons are an event all by themselves. Make some yummy homemade snacks like caramel popcorn, Chex mix, cookies, or brownies. What's great about having a viewing party at home is that you can pick whatever you want to watch, including your favorite movies!

7. Have a Game Night

Set up a fun game night complete with prizes, all your favorite board games, and exciting challenges. You can even invite some friends over for your staycation game night, too. Have everyone bring their favorite game and snack, and your game night plans are complete. 

8. Hire a Personal Chef

Who says you have to go to a fancy restaurant to have fancy food? By hiring a personal chef for dinner, you can enjoy gourmet food made especially for you. The best part about hiring your own chef is that you can enjoy a 5-star meal without leaving your house. 

9. Eat Breakfast in Bed

One of the most luxurious feelings in the world is eating breakfast in bed. If you live alone, you might have to prepare your own breakfast, but you can still get right back into bed to enjoy it. If you live with others, you can take turns making breakfast for each other each morning of your staycation.

10. Hire a Masseuse or a Masseur

A masseuse (female) or a masseur (male) has studied the body and the art of massage and knows all the techniques for easing tension and bodily pains. Hiring a masseuse or a masseur can be a great way to get all the built-up tension out of your body without having to go to an expensive resort or day spa. 

11. Find a Great Staycation Read

Get away during this staycation idea by picking up a good book. Books are cheaper than an expensive, far-away vacation, but you can go just as far. There is a genre out there for everyone. If you don't already know what kind of books you like, that's ok! Visit your local library and test out a popular book from each genre. Don't worry about finishing each one if you don’t want to. Just focus on finding the types of stories that draw you in.

12. Enjoy a Christmas Staycation

If you need a staycation idea for the holidays, try creating your own at-home Christmas staycation. A Christmas staycation lets you enjoy the cozy feel of the holiday season without the stress of traveling. Decorate your living room with twinkling lights, put on your favorite festive movie, and bake a batch of holiday cookies. You can also start new traditions, like having a family game night or hosting an ugly sweater party.

13. Go on a Virtual Adventure

Use online resources like Google Arts & Culture, museum websites, and YouTube to take virtual tours of famous museums, landmarks, or national parks. These resources let you explore art galleries, stroll through historic streets, or hike beautiful trails without the stress of leaving home! As you check out these destinations, you can do further research about the history and culture to make the experience even more immersive.

14. Host a Craft Retreat

Invite a friend over or take some alone time to enjoy your favorite crafts. Set up a dedicated crafting area in your home that includes all the supplies and tools you’ll need. Turn on some background music and enjoy the moment. You can stick to your favorite crafts or try out new skills or equipment.

15. Luxury Hotel at Home

If you don’t want to spend money on a hotel but want the hotel experience, try this staycation idea! Turn your home into a luxury hotel. Make your bed with high-quality sheets, order a gourmet meal, and give yourself a full turndown service, complete with chocolates on the pillow. Take a relaxing bath, put on a plush robe and slippers, and enjoy in-room entertainment.

16. Karaoke Night

Turn your living room into your own private karaoke lounge. Set up a microphone, pull up some lyrics from the internet, and a playlist of your go-to songs to sing along to. Invite some neighbors, friends, or family members over and take turns performing different songs. You can even take it up a notch by dressing up or adding stage lighting. 

17. Have a Dance Party

If singing isn’t for you, consider throwing a dance party in your living room. Clear out some space, crank up the music, and let loose. To really immerse yourself, you can get creative with lighting, costumes, and fun cocktails or mocktails. Try adding some dance-off competitions to get everyone up and moving.

16 Outdoor Staycation Ideas

You don’t have to travel hours away to enjoy the great outdoors. In fact, you can enjoy the wonders of nature from your own backyard! And if you stay close by, you can still run back inside to enjoy the comforts of home in case it suddenly rains or you forget the flashlight. Try out these outdoor and backyard staycations and enjoy the fresh air.

1. Host an Outdoor Movie Night

Turn your backyard into a movie theater by setting up a projector and arranging some blankets, pillows, or camping chairs. To complete the experience, add some twinkling lights, tasty snacks, and a cooler of cold drinks. Enjoy the fresh outdoor air while you watch your favorite films! 

2. Set up a Backyard Obstacle Course

Obstacle courses can be a lot of fun for all ages! You can create your own obstacle course with simple household items like pool noodles, hula hoops, ladders, and balance beams. Time yourself or race against family members to see who can finish the course the quickest. You can even award prizes to boost the competition. 

3. Enjoy an Outdoor Game Night

An outdoor game night is a great way to enjoy quality time with loved ones. Set up lawn games like giant Jenga, ladder ball, or frisbee golf. Provide comfortable seating and a cooler filled with refreshments. You can also offer prizes for game winners or a sweet treat to end the night.

4. Explore Local Hikes and Nature Trails

By downloading the All Trails App or visiting their website, you can find hikes and trails near you. The All Trails App will even help guide you with a GPS map so you don't get lost on the trail. Make a goal and hit every trail near you to find which ones you love and see sights you've never seen before. 

5. Go to a Local Sports Event

Even if you aren't really into sports, going to a local sports event can still be fun. There might even be local teams you didn't know about that you could start rooting for. The great thing about sporting events is that you can go with friends, walk around, and grab delicious foods from all the different vendors. 

6. Go Camping Nearby

Pack your camping gear and set out on an outdoor sleepover somewhere nearby. You can find local campgrounds to visit or even set up a tent in your own backyard. Make dinner over the fire, tell stories, gaze up at the stars, and roast marshmallows on chocolate and graham crackers.  

7. Build a Backyard Waterpark

Set up a personal waterpark in your own backyard! You could set up your water play by getting a pool, a water slide, or a wading pool, playing with the garden hose, or filling up water balloons and having a water balloon fight! You could even set up umbrellas, chairs, and wading pools to soak your feet while you relax under the umbrella and read a good book. 

8. Make a Bonfire

Make a bonfire in your backyard and spend a calm evening by the blazing fire roasting marshmallows and talking with your loved ones. If you don't have a fire pit in your backyard, visit a local park or campground instead. Prepare yummy tin foil dinners, make smores, sing songs, tell stories, and play campfire games. 

9. Have a Cookout or Barbecue

Nothing cures the stress of everyday life like some really good food. Take your staycation meals to the next level by cooking them over an open flame. There are so many delicious cookout recipes out there to choose from. 

10. Take up Bird Watching

Buy yourself some bird-watching binoculars and a guide to the local bird species in your area. You might also want an easy-to-pack, travel-friendly seat or cushion to sit on while you look for all the birds in your local guide.

11. Go on a Plant Scavenger Hunt

Pick up a guide to all the different plants that grow near you. Then, go outside in comfortable outdoor clothing that can protect you from any poisonous plants or mosquitoes and start finding all the plants you can. When you find each different plant, snap a picture as proof that you found it. Make it a game with others and see who can find more plants. 

12. Go on a Picnic

Pack a picnic basket with all your favorite lunch foods and go on a picnic. To make your picnic even better, pack a nice blanket, some lawn chairs, a frisbee, or a book. Set up your picnic in the backyard or at a nearby park. Creating your own custom picnic basket can also be a fun way to pass the time during your staycation. 

13. Go on Bike Rides

Bike rides can be strenuous or leisurely, depending on what biking trail you choose and your bike ride preferences. You also want to consider safety, your level of biking skills, and the type of bike you have when deciding on a type of bike ride excursion. 

14. Go Berry Picking

Find local farms near you and see what kind of picking is available. In the summer, berry picking is the most common. Berry picking is fun because it gets you outside and allows you to pick your own fresh berries off the vine without having to maintain your own garden. It's also a great way to support local businesses and farmers!

15. Explore Your Neighborhood

Go on a walk in your neighborhood and take some time to notice your surroundings. Check out local parks and stop to chat with neighbors you see along the way. Walk through your neighborhood with the eyes of a tourist and notice the little things you may have missed before. You can also look at your neighbors’ yards to get some ideas for changes you want to make to your own. 

16. Have an Outdoor Yoga Retreat

Another staycation idea is to unroll your yoga mat in your backyard, on your patio, or at a nearby park and enjoy a nice yoga session in nature. The fresh air can improve your practice and help you reach a deeper sense of relaxation and mindfulness. Let the sights and sounds of the outdoors ground you through your flow.

17 Local Staycation Ideas

A staycation requires looking at your local community with a new set of eyes, which is great when looking for staycation ideas. What activities and events have you never really considered trying out? When people visit from out of town, where do they go? Here’s a list of staycation ideas you can do in your town.

1. Book a Nearby Hotel or Airbnb

Need to get out of the house? Book a few nights at a local hotel for a complete vacation experience. By booking a nearby hotel, you can cut on travel costs but still enjoy the luxury amenities that hotels provide, like room service, breakfast, and great nearby hangouts within walking distance. 

2. Swap Houses with a Close Friend

Another cheap way to get the relocation experience without going very far or spending too much money is to just swap houses with a friend! Find someone else who could use a change and switch houses with them for a few days. 

3. Visit Local Museums

Are there local hot spots near you that you've never visited? Change that by taking your staycation to local sites like museums. By learning all about everything in the museum, you can become your own museum guide. Then, you can take all your friends to the museum and be an expert at showing them around. 

4. Visit Local Visitors Centers

Call your town’s visitor center and ask for ideas! The receptionist and local guides there will know all about where to go and what to do near you. Some visitor centers also have brochures and maps of your local area. 

5. Try a New Restaurant

Eat at a restaurant you’ve never been to before. In our own hometown, we can easily get into ruts. It can be hard to break your routine when you know what you like. But the vacation experience is all about new and unfamiliar experiences. Take a leap and change things up by choosing a restaurant you've never been to before. 

6. See a Community Play

Go see a play near you. You don't have to go to Broadway or a major city to catch a live production. There could be theater performances happening nearby! Traveling Broadway productions also pass through many towns. You could also go to a local high school or university production and support your local schools. 

7. Search “Events Near Me”

Google the phrase "events near me" and see what Google can find. Some towns even have their own website with a listing for events. You can also search for events near you on Facebook. Just log into Facebook, and you'll find an "Events" tab in the side menu. 

8. Visit Local Parks

An easy staycation idea is to visit your local parks. Almost every city has at least one park. Visit the parks near you and see which one you like the best. You might find a new great place to play sports, take your dog on walks, go on runs, or have picnics.

9. Make Time for a Weekend Getaway

You don't have to go far away for a long time to have a worthwhile vacation. One staycation idea is to go somewhere new nearby. Instead of planning a huge trip, go on a short weekend getaway somewhere close.

10. Go on the Local Tours

Go on a tour in your own hometown. Search for local tours near you and see what you can find. You might have to pay for admission, but it's worth it. Tours often come with a wealth of new knowledge about your hometown. 

11. Shop at the Local Marketplace

Instead of going to the big chain grocery stores, support your local businesses and explore the local markets. Find out where the farmer's market near you is located and go see what they have to offer. The groceries and products you get there will be fresher, healthier, and grown nearby. Many local marketplaces also have other vendors selling all kinds of neat things. 

12. Rent a Cool Car for the Day

Some people enjoy renting a car while traveling. Car rentals can be expensive, but if you rent a vehicle for only one day, you can save a lot of money. It'll also be easier and more affordable to rent a really cool car! 

13. Visit a Local Amusement Park

Enjoy a thrilling adventure without going too far from home. Spend the day riding roller coasters, playing carnival games, and eating delicious treats like cotton candy and funnel cakes. With so many attractions and entertainment options, local amusement parks provide a fun time for the whole family.

14. Try to Escape an Escape Room

Gather a group of friends or family members and work together to solve puzzles and find clues in a local escape room. Escape rooms come in various themes to cater to different preferences. From thrilling missions to playful fairytale adventures, there’s a theme for everyone.

15. Attend an Outdoor Concert or Festival

Look up local event listings for upcoming outdoor concerts, art festivals, or community celebrations. Spend an evening under the stars listening to live music, checking out vendor booths, enjoying regional cuisine, or participating in cultural activities in your area. 

16. Explore a Local Brewery or Winery

If you live near a brewery or winery that offers tours, take the opportunity to explore the artistry behind creating your favorite beverages. Learn about the history and techniques needed to brew beer or produce wine. With this staycation idea, you may even be able to sample some of the handcrafted beers or wines!

17. Go on a Foodie Walking Tour

Many cities offer guided walking tours highlighting the best local restaurants, bakeries, and food shops. Taking one of these tours is an awesome way to discover the hidden gems in your area. Along the way, you’ll be able to sample delicious dishes, snacks, and treats and learn about the history and culture behind each one.

Plan an Affordable Staycation Today

Planning a staycation is simple and easy. With a prepaid debit card, you can make staycation planning even easier by giving yourself a vacation allowance on your prepaid debit card. That way, you'll be sure not to overspend as you enjoy the local sites and attractions your own city has to offer.